Dhoni last featured for the Indian team in the semifinal of the 2019 World Cup. There have since been speculations over his future with the Indian team since, but Dhoni is yet to publicly confirm his decision.

The Indian wicketkeeper-batsman served in the Territorial Army in Jammu & Kashmir for a 15-day period after India's World Cup campaign came to an end, which kept him out of the tour to the West Indies.

While it was speculated that Dhoni may make a comeback to the side with the T20I series against South Africa, chief selector MSK Prasad revealed that the former Indian captain made himself unavailable for selection.

Hardik Pandya, meanwhile, was rested for the entirety of the tour to the West Indies, and will come back to the side in the T20Is against South Africa. The squad for the three-match Test series against the Proteas will be announced later today, and Pandya is expected to be selected.

The first of the three-match T20I series will be played in Dharamshala on September 15.